1. Studbook Databases
Development and
Maintenance

2. ZIMS Updates! This PowerPoint is up-to-date as of: November 12th 2018
ZIMS is developed in an “agile” method
This means that it is updated every two weeks, sometimes with additional releases in between!
Use the link below to see if there have been any updates to this topic since the date above:

3. Studbook: Species Database
One Species, Many Facilities
Institutional Records:
One Facility, Many Species

4. Why have studbooks ?
Zoos have data for their animals, isn’t that enough information?

5. Studbook: Benefits Data is easily available to all zoos

6. Studbook: Benefits Data is easily available to all zoos

7. Studbook: Benefits Allows data to be sorted and filtered

8. Studbook: Benefits Collected data allows population-level analysis, with adequate sample sizes

9. Studbook: Benefits Can detect population trends related to husbandry and animal health
The giraffe studbook keeper noticed that male giraffes were dying from blocked urethras and burst bladders. No single zoo had more than one death, but more than 20 males had died.
There is now a research programme investigating diets and other possible causes of this major cause of death for male giraffe.
Studbook keepers can notice trends that single institutions cannot.

10. Studbook: Benefits Can analyze demographic rates

11. Studbook: Benefits Can evaluate population structure

12. Studbook: Benefits Can determine relatedness among individuals

13. Studbook: Benefits Necessary for genetic management

14. Studbook: Contents Core Information: Life Events: Special Data:
Origin (birth/capture), sex, parent IDs, rearing
Life Events:
Transfers, loans, management plans, death
Special Data:
Identifiers – tags, tattoos, house names
Notes on collection, behavior, reproduction
Causes of death, museum information
User Defined Fields:
Taxonomy, management, research, etc

15. Studbooks have been kept in Word and Excel and other formats.

16. Studbook format:
There are now almost 1400 studbooks worldwide using the Sparks format. This allows easier analysis of the data with standard software.

17. Studbook Keeper: Tasks
Data collection from institutions (all current and historical specimens)
Data entry into SPARKS
Data assumptions and investigation
Data validation and reconciliation
Studbook publication and distribution
Updating studbook data
And repeat every year forever…

18. Data Collection Sources
Species360 institutional data –
>3 million animals from 911 institutions in 86 countries
Pre-existing international studbook
Data from all holding institutions (current and historical)

19. Data Collection Sources
ARKS Taxon and Specimen Reports from individual zoos
Other possibilities: Keeper notes and memories, museum records, newspaper articles with pictures of new arrivals or cute baby animals
Soon: ZIMS- integrated database (animal records, veterinary records, studbooks)

20. Data Entry Species360 compilation of available data
Careful hand entry of additional information
Standardization (Species360 mnemonics, guidelines for data entry)
Look for links between “pieces” of specimens (importance of unique identifiers)
Date estimation (time period, mid-points)
Document all assumptions
Assign permanent studbook numbers

21. Species360 Single Population Analysis & Record Keeping System

27. Contact Species360 Support International Species Information System